If you never owned a PlayStation 4, you missed out on playing Bloodborne, one of the best games for the system. However, this might soon change thanks to shadPS4, a new PS4 emulator for PC. shadPS4 has already managed to boot up Bloodborne and reach the character select screen.
Everyone still loves Bloodborne, and we recently discussed an Elden Ring mod for it. But shadPS4 offers something different: the potential to play the actual game on our PCs, possibly even with excellent performance.
Emulators are a big deal, as seen with the recent release of a new version of Dolphin. However, shadPS4 faces the challenge of newer consoles like the PS4, which have high hardware demands that can push even the most powerful PCs to their limits.
YouTuber GeorgeMoralis has showcased the 0.1.1 version of Shad-PS4 running Bloodborne. While gameplay isn’t possible yet, history shows that once progress begins, things often speed up rapidly until everything works smoothly. shadPS4 is already capable of running parts of some games, and the project’s GitHub page notes that a new shader recompiler in shadPS4 is helping more games start to work.
Related: Old Nintendo game Dementium The Ward PS5, PS4 versions now available for purchase
Developing an emulator like this is a painstaking process. It involves a lot of trial and error to trick the game into thinking it’s running on a PS4, even though it’s not. This isn’t the first PlayStation to be emulated. PS1 and PS2 emulation is nearly perfect now, and while the PS3 took longer due to its complex architecture, it’s now capable of playing most games to some extent. There’s hope that PS4 games like Bloodborne will soon be playable on PC.
